Natural Disasters

"Natural disaster" is an oxymoron. There are no disasters in nature. That the creations of man are destroyed in seconds or in centuries is, by definition, the intention of nature. ALAN R. COLES Long Beach

NEW DELHI - India breathed a sigh of relief Sunday as assessment teams fanned out across the eastern part of the country in the wake of the biggest storm in 14 years and found extensive property damage but relatively little loss of life. The state news service, Press Trust of India, reported that 23 people died as a result of Cyclone Phailin, most from falling trees or flying debris. Many had predicted a far higher death toll from the storm in this country of 1.2 billion people, where crisis management, regulation, planning and execution are often inadequate and thousands lose their lives each year to natural disasters, building collapses, train accidents and poor crowd control.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and other phenomena will be the topic of an exhibit titled "Forces of Nature," opening Sept. 22 at the Children's Museum at La Habra. The hands-on exhibit will examine the causes of severe acts of nature and the ways people can protect themselves. Activities will include experiencing the turbulence of a wind tunnel, stepping into an "earthquake room" and donning gear to fight a simulated forest fire. The exhibit will continue through Jan. 25. Museum hours are 10 a.

WASHINGTON - With a folksy smile and razor-sharp political instincts, Janet Napolitano managed to wrestle the federal government's third largest and arguably most dysfunctional U.S. department into relative shape during her 4 1/2 years as secretary of Homeland Security. She thus gives up one vast but troubled empire for another when she leaves Washington to take over as president of the University of California system in September. As head of a department cobbled together from 22 disparate agencies and departments after the Sept.

January 12, 1995 | WENDY MILLER, Wendy Miller is editor of Ventura County Life

This week's storms make today's Centerpiece resonate like a thunderclap: Natural disasters--be they earthquakes or floods--are terrifying in their randomness and power. Can we ever really be prepared? When we sent free-lancer Ken McAlpine to find the answer, we planned to tie his report into the anniversary of the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake. Natural disasters being unpredictable, of course, we now have the chance to link the story to the floods, making our bosses think we're geniuses.

December 15, 1992 | JEFFREY S. KLEIN and LOUIS M. BROWN, Klein is an attorney and president of The Times Valley and Ventura County editions. Brown is professor of law emeritus at USC and chairman of the board for the National Center for Preventive Law

Whenever we hear or read about natural disasters, we usually focus on the physical impact. How many lives were lost? How many houses destroyed? But after the media attention diminishes, those who have suffered through the disaster must get on with their lives.

Volcanoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters struck at week's end in Asia, South America, the Soviet Union and an island chain in the South Atlantic. Here is a rundown on the burst of activity: PHILIPPINES--A huge fissure cracked Mt. Pinatubo and scientists said the erupting volcano may be building up to a catastrophic blast. The region was also hit by winds and rains generated by a typhoon, and earthquakes triggered by the volcanic eruptions shook parts of Luzon Island.

Earthquakes, floods and hurricanes cause suicide rates to climb among grieving and stressed survivors, researchers report in today's New England Journal of Medicine. "Overall, the suicide rate increased by 13.8% during the four years after a severe natural disaster," the research team led by Dr. Etienne G. Krug of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found.

It's now official. Between the funding needed to make repairs from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake through projected aid expenditures through 1996, federal taxpayers will have paid about $7 million a day to aid in California's recovery from natural disasters. That makes the state the nation's biggest drain on such funds. And no, these figures do not include the past week's incredible deluge, flooding and mudslides. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to find a silver lining.

The Philippines is becoming a budget Hollywood, attracting foreign filmmakers despite deteriorating security and more than its share of natural disasters. James Glickenhaus, producer of "McBain," said varied locations, a professional local work crew and an English-speaking population also make filming here easier. "All in all, it was an extremely attractive place for us to shoot," Glickenhaus said. "I would recommend it to other filmmakers. It's a great place to shoot."

Former Royal/T and Test Kitchen chef Sandra Cordero's catering company Cordero Negro is teaming up with ART from the ashes , a nonprofit using art to support communities affected by natural disasters, for a benefit culinary pop-up and art exhibition featuring works of art from over fifty L.A.-based artists. The Wine Vault in Glendale will be hosting "Comida y Arte," scheduled to kick off on April 25 with an opening reception featuring cocktails and bar bites. On April 26 and 27, Cordero Negro will be serving up a paella party-themed threecourse menu, starting at 6 p.m. The opening reception costs $20 per person and the dinner by Cordero Negro, available on April 26 and 27, is $40 per person.

If the highest goal of fiscal reform is to reduce spending and better the lives of Americans, here's an idea that fits the bill: Improve the way the federal government responds to the growing number of natural disasters. Natural disasters have become increasingly costly to the United States, both in terms of the toll they take on American communities and in the direct costs of mounting a federal response. The federal government spent about $150 billion on relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and has so far committed about $60 billion for Superstorm Sandy.

The Teddy Bear Museum of the Sierra opens Friday with more than 250 antique and modern-day bears on display in Oakhurst, Calif., at the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park , where the real bears live. The museum's bear count comes from private collectors who also are card-carrying members of the Mountain Bear Fan Club . "Four of us became radical collectors," museum founder and club creator Toni Lagunoff said Wednesday. She said the group often talked about opening a museum for the 5,000 bears they have between them, but it wasn't until Jean Eaton, one of their own, died in December that they made it a reality to honor her. The current display features English-made bears, miniature bears, patriotic bears and an explanation of how teddy bears got started (yes, you'll learn about the Teddy Roosevelt link)

Marybeth Bond of Gutsy Traveler knows how to troubleshoot travel disasters -- even the unexpected ones. Here are five tips on how to head off adverse situations when you're on the road. She'll be giving advice on packing and preparing for trips at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show at the L.A. Convention Center. I don't court disaster, but it can strike unexpectedly away from home: a cracked tooth causes a toothache, a hurricane or tsunami shuts down stores and cash machines, or you are the victim of an accident or crime.

It could be a dark and stormy Oscar night. Among the historical epics, political thrillers and romantic dramas on the awards scene, several films that feature nature's fury are clouding the horizon. "Life of Pi," "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "The Impossible" are wildly different films, but all share the mighty power of the environment and their protagonists' helplessness against it. Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" features a boy shipwrecked by a massive storm who winds up sharing a lifeboat with a deadly tiger.

MIAMI - The billboard on Interstate 95, with its azure sea and sugar-colored sand, could have been an ad for any of the myriad tropical destinations hoping to woo travelers abroad. But the tag line might be surprising to some: "Haiti, Live the Experience. " The billboard, which was erected in August by the Haitian government, is the latest salvo in what the country's tourism officials and hospitality industry say is a battle to re-brand a country known more for political unrest and natural disasters than its historical landmarks and natural beauty.

Booming cities in Asia face increasing peril as storms and other disasters spike, hitting the poorly prepared region harder than other parts of the globe, according to a new report from the Asian Development Bank. The warning comes as the biggest city in the United States recovers from Superstorm Sandy, a menace that has drawn new attention to the threats stoked by climate change. As New Yorkers struggle to recover, the report points out that disaster threats are even graver in Asia and the Pacific, where people are 25 times more likely to be affected than in Europe or North America.

BRIGANTINE, N.J. - As relief workers began clearing up the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, President Obama and Mitt Romney avoided overt partisan politics Wednesday. But with a mere six days to go before election day, and early voting underway across the nation, it was impossible to view the men's actions without a political lens. Obama traveled to New Jersey to survey damage and appear alongside Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who is among Romney's highest-profile surrogates and who typically offers scathing criticism of the president.